Rupert Neve Designs has announced the introduction of the new 5254 Dual Diode Bridge Compressor that contains two channels of diode bridge compression based on the dynamics circuit in the company’s Shelford Channel.
According to the company, “Rupert Neve’s early diode bridge compressors have been revered by engineers since the early 1970s, but their desirable characteristics were unfortunately accompanied by inflexible controls and fairly limited versatility.” The Dual Diode Bridge Compressor was designed “to capture the soul of these coveted compressors while providing modern updates” including advanced timing control, significantly lower noise, fully stepped controls throughout, higher voltage power rails, internal parallel processing, and more.
The unified Timing control consists of six selectable settings for different applications, with a Fast button to increase the speed of both attack and release times for each setting, effectively doubling the number of time constants from six to 12. Rupert Neve Designs says, “Faster Timing settings will induce more harmonic content, while slower settings will result in more transparent compression – and these constants inherently adapt themselves slightly depending on ratio, threshold, and source material. This dynamically generated timing shift and harmonic content is what gives the Dual Diode Bridge Compressor its unique personality.”
The Dual Diode Bridge Compressor can be operated in either dual mono or stereo linked configurations, with two VU meters displaying either gain reduction or output level. It also includes Rupert Neve Designs’ custom audio transformers and Class-A line amplifiers, 31-position detented controls, full-wave side-chain detection for improved accuracy, a sweepable side-chain high-pass filter and external side-chain insert, and an internal universal power supply that works worldwide on 90-240 VAC.
In addition, Rupert Neve Designs also announced that the Portico II: Master Buss Processor is now available with new black cosmetics, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the company. Both units are shipping worldwide in late October 2020, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $3,599 USD for the 5254 and $3,995 USD for the Master Buss Processor.
